Adhering fastening strips, such as for example hook and loop ties, are generally known. Adhering fastening strips may include a first complementary material, such as a hook material, and a second complementary material, such as a loop material.
Adhering fastening strips are useful in many applications, such as for use in securing items. For example, fastening strips incorporating VELCRO material are commonly used to secure data cables. However, conventional hook and loop ties do not grip the cables sufficiently, which can place undue stress on the cables, connectors, and equipment. Hook and loop ties also tend to slide down the support/equipment that the cables are often attached to. VELCRO is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B.V. in the United States and other countries.
Currently, cable ties and hook and loop fastening strips are used together in an attempt to secure bundles of cables. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20100192331(A1) presents an approach to improved bundle tensioning without risk to the bundle in which one side of a adhering fastening strip includes a large non-slip area that is flanked by a smaller first adhering material, with the opposing side of the fastening strip including a second adhering material, complementary to the first adhering material. While this approach provides some gripping by provisioning a non-slip area, it is does not provide adhering material along the length of the fastening strip, which weakens the fastening strip's adhering strength. Some other attempts, in different contexts, for pairing of gripping areas/materials with other material have been made. For example, the garment industry has used fabric impregnated with patterned silicon for support garments that would grip the skin and stay up.
Notwithstanding these approaches, there is a need to securely grip items (such as a bundle of data cables) secured by a fastening strip to keep the items from moving longitudinally with respect to the fastening strip, while still providing adequate protection from potential damage to the bundled items and still providing a fastener with adequate adhering strength.